Bewitched!
by Patzy
Summary: Rated T for Foul Language: Lovina is not an ordinary girl. She has been cursed to hate men! The only way to break the curse is to find her true love. Will she be able to find that man despite her unnatural man-hating tendencies?
1. Chapter 1: A Thorny Rose

**Bewitched**

_Chapter One: A Thorny Rose_

My mother, Bianca, was a beautiful and capable woman. Everyone - men and women alike, admired her, but no one seemed intent on taking her seriously. She was like an **expensive state-of-the-art gadget** – everyone wanted to have one because it was more advanced and had more functions. Since it was too pricey (and there were cheaper gadgets), almost no one would buy her even though they could have earned for it. She was so 'different' that no one actually bothered to develop deep relationships with her.

When it seemed like Bianca would journey through her life alone, my father - Alessandro appeared into her lonely life.

For Bianca, Alessandro always made her feel weird and comfortable at the same time. She would blush or get flustered at the silliest/simplest things he did. She'd throw a tantrum or get fits when he gets touchy-feely with other girls...and guys. _Sometimes._ She couldn't help herself get jealous of men too. He had that power to make her world disoriented.

Alessandro was everyone's man. He was funny, intelligent, handsome, wealthy, and people oriented. Yes, he's a rake, but he was in good terms with everyone he crossed paths with. Even though he acted like a best friend to almost everyone, he wasn't really 'in touch' with everyone but his family.

That is, until he met Bianca. Bianca – for him, was the cutest and probably the most eccentric girl he had met. It amazed him that no one actually took an interest on her. For him, her sophistication (she had the weirdest ability to make her every move look graceful that it makes him laugh so much) and simplicity (she's kind off slow when it comes to social matters) was the most attractive thing about her.

Alessandro's parents didn't approve his love for Bianca. Bianca, they reasoned, just came from a 'normal' family and that she would bring misfortune to them. Even though they threatened to disown him, Alessandro refused to abide by his parents' decision.

After a few years, they decided to get married. It was a tough decision for Alessandro, but he had to face his fears. He visited the house of his supposed fiancé. Her name was Ella. The woman was pretty, but her beauty could not compete with Bianca's.

"Alessandro...do you truly choose her over me?" she silently asked.

Alessandro's features softened as he nodded. "Ella, I love her." He replied slowly.

"My love for you...it seems it didn't reach you fully." She sighed as she looked down. Tear drops fell from her face filled with hurt.

Bianca bit her lip and looked away, struggling to stop herself from running away. Ella looked at Bianca, assessing her from head to toe. Ella smiled weakly at her. She understood Bianca's discomfort very well. It was as if Ella saw her very being as soon as their eyes met.

"It's not your fault, Bianca." She murmured as she shifted her eyes towards Alessandro. Her sad eyes instantly turned into hatred as she glared at him. "But I'm not sorry for cursing your first daughter, Alessandro." Her words were full of venom and acid. Despite himself, Alessandro seemed taken aback by Ella's sudden ruthlessness.

The world seemed to have frozen as she spoke on. _**"The touch of the opposite gender shall ignite flames of intense hatred, but if true love happens to blossom between them despite of that, the curse shall be broken." **_

_**Line break!**_

"**Lo-vi-na Var-gas! Are you listening to me?" **A voice pierced through my trail of thoughts.

I blinked innocently at my best friend, Bella. "I am. What about your seatmate?"

"He keeps borrowing my stuff. What should I do?" she groaned. Bella can be such a punching bag sometimes. It's nice and cute of her to be nice to almost everyone, but sometimes she gets taken advantaged off.

"Kick his balls repeatedly." I smirked.

"Lovina!" she laughed as she playfully punched my shoulder. "You're such a brute when it comes to boys." She grinned.

"I don't like them." I distastefully said.

"I feel sorry for the guys who have an interest on you." Bella sighed. "I mean, you're nice to me, but when it comes to men, you're like a mafia boss – intimidating and unapproachable."

It's true. I really have a **mega-esque irrational** hatred on men and I blame it on my curse. I've been trying to suppress my hatred for men, but I almost always fail. The one of the guys I've managed to be somehow nice with was my younger twin's boyfriend, Ludwig.

"That's not true. I'm...civil with Po-_Ludwig_." I managed to spat out.

"You were about to say 'Potato'." Bella pointed out.

"That's an achievement," I smirked. "I've been practicing not saying 'Potato' whenever he's around."

"I wish some guy would see that you're trying your best to be good to be good to them."

"Oh shut up Bella," I blushed lightly. "I only did that because Feliciana really likes him." I sighed.

_**Line break!**_

During Wednesdays and Thursdays, I usually hang out with my club mates. After saying a quick goodbye to Bella (She's in the Cooking Club), I plopped on a nearby chair near Kiku Honda, the president of the Art Club. He's a silent guy – whenever he talked, he would always stun everyone with his wise words or in some rare cases, his eccentricity (you'll find that out later, I promise). I find his company tolerable and a bit enjoyable.

Kiku looked up from the manga he was reading and flashed a tiny smile. "Good afternoon Lovina-san."

"Good afternoon Kiku," I replied. "What are you reading?"

"Naruto. I bought 5 volumes."

"Hmm, can I borrow one?" my frown managed to twitch upwards (I tried to smile, goddammit!).

Kiku just nodded as he returned reading the manga. We were usually like that – we minded our own business. It never bothers me. I like the feeling of being free to do what I want without being scrutinized by jerks.

"Lovina, want to sketch with me somewhere?" Matthew suddenly asked.

Matthew Williams, the resident invisi-guy, was also one of my favourites. He's nice and soft-spoken but he just blends too well with the background that almost everyone doesn't realize his good side. If you ask me, he's a good boyfriend material. I don't really like _like_ him, but he's the least irritating guy out there.

"Sure. How about Kiku?" I reluctantly at the Japanese who was engrossed with the Naruto manga. Kiku noticed me looking and made a _**'you can go'**_ gestures with his free hand.

We went to the north conservatory. The school's conservatory is really large , mainly because the principal and the school board are such plant freaks. This is my favourite place – it's silent, cold, and shady; plus, I can eat some tomatoes while I'm there.

Matthew sat on one of the benches and started drawing. I left him, partly because of the tomato hunting, but also for the space he needs. An artist can produce his/her best when his/her environment and he/she himself/herself is connected to each other.

I took my time exploring the conservatory. I passed through various trees, when _voila!_ I found the tomato patch hidden behind banana trees. I plucked a few tomatoes and wiped them clean with my handkerchief. The juicy goodness boosted my energy that I wandered to one of the previously unexplored parts of the conservatory. I was lost.

I fumbled my pockets for my phone...and it turns out I fucking _left_ it inside my bag. If I called Matthew for help, he wouldn't be able to notice it. He really gets disconnected from human contact as soon as he starts sketching. Sighing in defeat, I decided to try tracing back my steps.

I'm starting to get nervous. I've been fucking walking around like a dumbass but I keep on getting back at the same place! Shit! I felt tears threatening to spill when someone called.

"Feli? Is that you?" a Spanish accented voice called out.

I felt myself twitch involuntarily. It's a male's voice. My body reacted instantly – I felt myself getting angrier and more frustrated. My palms are sweating and my breathing became laboured. _Uh-Oh_, I thought. Since I've been stressing out on being lost, I might not be able to control myself from lashing out on him. I gulped hard.

"Feli, I thought you were with the Volleyball Club with Elizaveta," he said, touching my shoulder. When I didn't reply, he went in front of me. "Feli, are you alri-

He stopped in midsentence. He blinked at me in confusion. I sighed inwardly – he must think I'm weird because I'm practically glowering at him right now.

"You're not Feli." He simply said, grinning like an idiot.

**WHAT.** Why was he grinning? Did I have something on my face? I absentmindedly touched my face for any signs of tomato seeds. None.

"You're..." his head tilted to his left as he tried to think of something. "...Lovina? Did I guess it right? Wah, you two really look alike!" His goofy smile was plastered on his face again.

"Get..." I suddenly rasped. I'm at my limit. I don't have patience for blabbering idiots.

"Get?" he blinked.

"**GET OUT MY FUCKING SIGHT YOU DORK!"** I shrieked angrily. _Sweet merciful gods - that felt great!_ My body relaxed, and I felt in control over my vicious man-hating hormones again.

I looked straight at the Spanish _idiota _and I regretted doing so. His face was blank.

_**Probably because of shock. **_

I panicked a bit – he didn't do anything to me and yet I...**FUCK IT**! Even though I know I did something wrong against him, I still didn't feel helping/do something good for him. But he's Feli's friend...and she'd be upset _(again)_ if she finds out what I did just now.

"Hey..." I tugged on his shirt. "I-I-I-Hate-Err, I'm s-s-s-s-sorry for yelling at you like that, bastard. I got a bit upset, that's all." I spat out as I blushed. I knew I was far from being nice (obviously), but I tried.

He still didn't move. I looked at him anxiously – was I THAT scary and terrible to him? Shit shit! I started to run in circles because of panic when I accidentally tripped and sprained my ankle.

"**OOOUCH!"** I yelled.

He seemed to have noticed what happened to me because for a split second he was a meter away, but now...

"Hey, are you alright, Lovina?" he asked, concerned. He was in front of me. He must be from the Track and Field Club.

"I...I'm alright, bastard." I struggled to reply politely. I felt myself trying to wiggle out of his grasp as he carried me bridal style. The movement put a strain on my ankle and I felt the pain get worse.

"Don't move too much Lovina." He warned.

I forced myself to restrain myself from hitting him. It was hard to do, but I had to. He looked at me from time to time with a worried and curious stare. I felt so vulnerable – I've never been treated like this before. It was all new to me. I hated the feeling.

**End of the Chapter**

**A/N: Hi guys. This is my first Hetalia fan fic! I hope you guys will like it. o 3 o Reviews are appreciated. It's been a long time since I've made a fan fic, so bare with my amateur writing skills.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Special Friend

**Bewitched**

_Chapter Two: A Special Friend_

"I'm alright." I said for the nth time that evening.

As soon as Feliciana heard about the news of me injuring myself, she suddenly barged in the nurse's clinic, crying hysterically. A shot a murderous glance at the blithering _idiota_, whose name is Antonio. Yes, he's the one who carried me all the way here.

Antonio smiled apologetically at me. I rolled my eyes. I'm _not_ sorry for doing that. Hmph!

"Jesus Feli, I'm not going to die because of a fucking sprain." I rolled my eyes as I patted her head. My younger twin can be such a drama queen. Thank God for Po...Err..._Ludwig_ – he seemed to understand me and gently led my sister out of the clinic.

"Come on, Lovina needs to rest before your parents fetch the both of you." He said.

I was about to close my eyes and get a roundtrip to dreamland when Antonio suddenly sat beside the bed. I forced my eyes to glare at him, but it was no use. I was so tired that my vicious man-hating hormones didn't seem to function. I managed to hiss at him though.

"Hey, you should take a rest." He suggested.

"How am I supposed to sleep when you're watching?" I grumbled. I bit my lip before the word 'bastard' slips out.

"Oh...I guess I'll leave." His voice trailed as he got up.

"Wait! Bast – _Antonio_, I have something to say!" my voice raised a few octaves high because of panic and a hint of desperation.

He stopped walking away and faced me. I sat on the bed on silence for a whole minute. Antonio patiently watched me with alert eyes.

"Look," I finally began. "I-I...I'm really s-sorry not! _No!_ What I meant to say was: I am very sorry for my earlier actions. I didn't really mean to act that way. don't make me repeat what I said, goddammit!" I gasped out, clutching my chest as I struggled to get lots of 'em oxygen. Trying to say really nice things to guys really wears me out that much. I knew I had already apologized earlier, but I couldn't help but to repeat it.

Antonio winced at my effort and gave me a glass of water. I gratefully accepted it without thought. I forced myself to watch his reaction.

I almost regretted apologizing.

He was actually_ struggling not to laugh_! I gawked at him, mortified and embarrassed (and a bit angry too!). He visibly relaxed as he met my eyes with his happy, sparkly ones.

"I thought you were going to yell at me again." He teased.

I look away indignantly. "I'm not as terrible as everyone thinks goddammit." I muttered.

"I know. But the way you yelled at me made me feel like a small kid fighting the urge to pee right then and there after seeing a ghost," He said, his features playing between serious and humor. "It was unnatural and unnerving. I was torn apart from leaving you and helping you." He blushed as he looked at me with an apologetic smile.

"Why didn't you run away like the rest of them?" I met his eyes, curious.

Every guy that crosses my path runs away from me like a bunch of sissies. I've grown to be infamous, as opposed to my younger sister's popularity. I don't really care. As long as freaks don't keep on nagging me, it's fine with me.

"I felt that you were struggling to be _nice_. You're not as bad as the rumours suggest." Antonio thoughtfully said.

"Rumours like?" I rolled my eyes. People in the school tend to exaggerate so much. They could all win Noble Prizes for that.

"Supposedly, you suck souls from living men and offer it to appease the underground head honcho and that you have claimed a pure and chaste angel as your bait to get more souls. they say that you're a devil incarnate." He chuckled.

Despite myself, I smiled a bit. _Underground head honcho? Angels? devil incarnate?_ Jesus, they were far more creative than I thought. I supposed that the angel that they were talking to was –

"Lovina!" Bella called out as she practically shoved Antonio.

"Bella? How about your club?" I frowned.

"Don't be all macho now! How did you sprain yourself?" she scolded.

"I tripped. I was at the conservatory. You know, stray branches." I shrank a bit. When Bella gets angry or upset, she could really get scary you know.

"So, who brought you here?"

Oh, right. Antonio's still here. Bella followed my eyes towards Antonio, who was sitting across the room silently.

Bella blinked. "Oh! That's a surprise. Uhm, thanks for bringing her here." She looked at me with her '_explain everything to me_' look.

"No problem. I guess I should leave you both." Antonio sheepishly smiled as he looked at both of us before leaving.

_**Line Break!**_

My Thursday's getting more and worse as Bella and Feliciana continued to nag me about the sprain incident. Somehow, my younger sister managed to ditch Ludwig and decided to bother me. If it weren't for my temporary lame ankle, I'd escape hours before. I braced myself from the merciless interview my younger twin and best friend were conducting.

"What's your relationship with Antonio?" Bella asked in a hushed tone after he left.

"Yeah, I mean you practically_ kill_ every guy you see, let alone guys that_ touches_ you for more than an hour." Feli chirped as we stopped at my locker.

"I just tried being nice," I sighed as I took my Calculus and Physics books from my locker. "But I kind of scared him a bit." Feli closed my locker and carried my books for me while we walked towards our room.

"Spare us, your evilness! May the sacrifices we offer be enough to appease the devil incarnate!" Feli and Bella chanted in unison before laughing.

"Yeah yeah. Feli, go to your class before I accidentally suck your soul." I teased as I took my books from her.

She was about to protest when Ludwig happened to pass by and dragged her away to their next class. I actually felt relieved – one nuisance down. Having Feli around too much is really not enjoyable – she's too noisy and cheerful for her own good. I really don't know how P-_Ludwig_ manages to bare her company, but I guess he's too stoic for his own good that he needs someone like Feli to dilute his 'stoicness' and vice-versa.

_**Line Break!**_

After enduring 3 hours of torture (1.5 hours for Calculus, and another 1.5 hours for Physics), Bella and I happily finished our academics for today and walked together towards the Art Club room although I insisted her not to.

"Yeah, and trip _again_? Not a chance!" she laughed. I rolled my eyes.

After threatening Matthew in a subtle way for the sprained ankle incident, Bella finally left me to the care of my club mates. Just like with Feli and Bella, my club mates flocked around me and began nagging me.

Matthew began apologizing for being 'irresponsible' and offered a 1.5 Litre of maple syrup as a peace offering. I gratefully accepted the 'offering' – I secretly _dig_ the William family's maple syrup. I must have looked annoyed (my facial expression doesn't mostly match what I really feel when it comes to guys) that Matthew gave me his new polar bear keychain as a consolation offering. I mumbled my thanks to show him that I'm not angry or upset with him.

Kiku lightly scolded me for being too gluttonous and twitchy for my own good. "Because of your injury, I'm not going to let you go and do your club duties alone." He said.

"Come on, I can perfectly handle myself." I whined frustratingly.

Kiku shook his head. "This is also a punishment for getting the tomatoes from the conservatory without permission."

I involuntarily blushed. How did he know that? I practically shoved those tomatoes down my throat so that no one could blame me! I almost choked because of that _dammit_!

"I planted those tomatoes for the school." He simply said.

I knew there was no use arguing with Kiku. He grinned with satisfaction as he saw my declaration of defeat and went on. "You're quite lucky that someone actually volunteered being your assistant for the time being."

"Uh-huh. Let me guess, Hera?" I sarcastically replied. I inwardly wince for being mean to him. I still couldn't control my man-hating hormones perfectly yet. Hera, an attractive Greek with an equally mind blowing body is Kiku's current girlfriend. She's a grade higher and she's quite popular.

Kiku frowned for a split second (He doesn't like discussing their relationship in public) before smiling. "No, but let's find out." He opened the door.

It was Antonio. He ran his hand through his messy brown hair and nervously smiled at me. "Hi Lovina. I thought that I should help you out while you're still injured." He said.

I looked at Kiku to complain but he immediately busied himself with the manga he was reading. Antonio didn't seem to read the atmosphere and grabbed my hand to lead the both of us away from the Art Room.

"So, what do we do now?" he asked as we were walking on school grounds. When we stopped walking, I immediately brushed his hand aside as gently as possible. That somewhat prolonged touch of our hands made me want to slap him repeatedly. I knew that it was wrong and tried to distract myself. Thankfully, he didn't react and just let my action/behaviour slide.

"Eat tomatoes." I blurt out of the blue.

"That's a good idea," He grinned as he whipped out two pulp tomatoes. "It's a good thing I brought an extra."

"Thanks." I mumbled as I took a rather big bite of the juicy fruit.

I felt really hungry at the sight of the fruit.

"I remembered you last night, you know, at the conservatory," he babbled on. "I immediately knew that you liked tomatoes because you were pretty much **enthusiastic** eating those tomatoes you harvested. So I thought, _'Why not bring an extra for Lovina just in case she gets hungry?'_." He laughed as he watched me sputter with embarrassment.

"You..." I hissed. He let out an uneasy smile as I glowered at him. "Forget everything you saw yesterday!"

"How could I forget? You looked really cute when you ate those two tomatoes in one setting." He really looked serious that I found myself getting amused. What's so cute about someone looking like a total glutton?

"You seriously have a problem with your vision and probably taste too!" I grumbled before laughing.

I don't know how he made me laugh that much, but it felt nice and awful. It's hard to feel two different emotions at the same time. It's like I wanted to pee so bad on a toilet made out of onion skin, but I couldn't because the toilet would disintegrate and I won't get to pee on that toilet.

After eating, I just silently sketched the trees while he hummed to himself. We remained like that for a hour or more before meeting up with my sister. When it was time to go, he walked me to the school entrance. For a minute, he stood in front of me. I was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly blurted out, "Can we be friends?"

I didn't know what I exactly did (my body sometimes goes on auto pilot when I'm near boys) because after a moment, he happily walked away with a goofy smile on his face, and waved goodbye.

A guy, as a real friend.

It was new to me. Kiku and Matthew were somewhat more of acquaintances, so I didn't really give much importance to their reactions. I liked their company, but I don't find myself enjoying myself with them as much as I enjoy being with Bella and Feli. I found myself asking:

_How will I act around him? _

_Will I be able to share stories with him as much as I do with Bella?_

_Will I care about his feelings?_

_Will I be able to trust him?_

...Even though I was born to hate him and every men out there?

**End of the Chapter**

**A/N: Hi guys. Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter! o w o Banzai! Banzai! I don't know if I've done a good job on this chapter (I felt that I ended this chapter abruptly). I tried my best! Please bear with my amateur writing skills. Oh, reviews please! **


	3. Chapter 3: Call Me Maybe

**Hi guys! First of all, I would like to apologize for the late update. I had a bad case of Writer's Stump for the past few months and I couldn't put myself to write a decent chapter. I have been thinking about Bewitched during classes and finals (LOL I'm working on this instead of focusing in my Accounting finals), and I'm having difficulty on how to piece the story plots and twists in the correct order.**

**Like, if I'm going to reveal the villain of the story early...or something like that! **

**And secondly, thank you for all the reviews up to this point! I would have never thought that my story would be worth reviewing. Let me repeat - Thank you very much! I hope everyone would still continue reading my work(s). **

**Anyway, let's get back to the story. Remember, the story is told by ****Lovina's Point of View (POV)****. **

**Bewitched**

_Chapter Three: Call Me Maybe_

Hi there! It has been a long time since we've chatted right? Here's a quick recap of everything so far:

It has been a week since I sprained my ankle in the conservatory. Ever since then, I've gained a new friend in Antonio Carriedo, a spacey yet incredibly nice guy, whom Kiku Honda, the president of the Art Club, (which is annoyingly cunning for his own good) assigned to assist me during club activities.

The news about me spraining my ankle spread like wild fire, probably thanks to Feliciana, my ditzy and yet loveable younger twin. Expect every secret you tell her to be spread in a second.

The news, however, really changed a lot as it passed from one person to another. From the original story of which I tripped because of a stray branch, evolved into me injuring myself to save a child from getting hit by a stray branch.

Now, I became really popular because of my heroic act, to which my best friend Bella Maes, finds it amusing.

I rolled my eyes in exasperation as some random girl quickly signed on my bandage. Well, she's not really random. I think she's one of the popular kids in school. Chloe was it?

"Hi Laviña, I'm Chlorie! I heard about your courageous act and I'm really impressed! We should totally hang out!" She grinned at me.

"It's Lovina." I corrected her. Jeez, my name's even _easier _to remember.

She seemed not to hear what I said and continued to shower my bandage with her rather girly-pink signatures. I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry Lavina, well, I have to go," she suddenly took out her ringing phone.

**Oh dear Neptune.** She's finally going away!

"My friends are calling me." She flashed an apologetic smile as she walked away.

When she was out of earshot, I frowned at Bella, who began to burst with laughter.

"Oh god, I like her," She laughed. "It's a sin to be that funny."

"She's not funny. I think she's really dumb." I muttered.

I mean, come on! How can someone closely named after a pool disinfectant have difficulty remembering a fairly common name?

"Maybe having a name such as Chlorinethia Bleachell can bleach your ability to remember the simplest of the simple." Bella cracked a grin.

"God," I chuckled. "Her name is so awful."

_**Line Break!**_

After classes, Bella and I went to unload some of our stuff into our respective lockers. As I was about to close my locker, my phone suddenly belted out its annoying beeps. I quickly fished my ancient Nokia phone. I click on the receive button and put the phone to my ear-

"**Looooooviiiiiiiii!"** a shriek came from the other line.

I immediately distanced myself from my phone. It was dad. Bella discreetly snorted in the background. I shot an annoyed look at her before turning around.

"Dad, not so loud!" I hissed.

My father could really be hyper sometimes. I can see where Feliciana got her personality from.

"Lovi, hija, I heard from Feliciana you got injured. How are you doing?" he said in a lighter tone.

"I'm alright. I've been taking care of myself." I replied, cracking a small smile, even though I was vaguely annoyed with his earlier actions.

"Well, be careful. Your mother's not showing it, but she's been incredibly worried about you."

"Tell her that I'm fine. I've got nerves of titanium."

He chuckled. "You did get her tenacious personality."

"I guess I did."

"Well, I have something to do. Be good and stay out of trouble."

"Okay. I will."

I ended the call. I whipped around to face Bella, only to find two pairs of emerald eyes staring at me with open curiosity and interest. I jump a good one meter away, surprised. The force of my jump made me wince in pain as I felt excess weight on my sprained ankle.

"Oopsie," Antonio murmured as he balanced me. "You shouldn't really move around like that." He smiled.

"Antonio!" I looked at him accusingly.

"Wow, did we really scare you that much?" Bella blinked as she closed the distance between the three us.

"We didn't really mean to scare you. You looked so comfortable on your phone that we kind of got curious." Antonio laughed.

"I was just talking to my dad!" I blushed. "There's nothing wrong with that."

"But still, I didn't know you were called as 'Lovi'." Antonio mused.

"She hates that nickname." Bella shrugged.

"It sounds ridiculous." I muttered.

"It sounds cute." He grinned.

"It does, doesn't it?" Bella nodded her assent.

After half an hour, I ignored both of them as I sat comfortably on the front passenger seat of Antonio's slightly weather-beaten Toyota Camry. Well, I did wave goodbye to bella after we dropped her to her apartment, but does not count. Besides, she did promise to deliver baked pomodoro lasagne.

The sound of the brake lever being shifted upwards woke me up of my rather unplanned and short slumber. I must have been wiped with all the commotion I had to endure from some busybodies. I did have to hide from the prying eyes of the school once in a while. The attention was sickening, to be honest. I slowly rubbed my eyes and let out a tired yawn as I scooted to the door.

"Can I call you that?" he suddenly asks me as he turns his head to face me.

I swivelled my head to his direction. "What?" I raised a brow.

"You know..." he trailed.

I just gave him a passive look.

"Lovi?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleeaase?"

"No." I frowned.

"Puhlease?"

"No!" I growled. God, he can be so persistent!

His eyes suddenly turned watery and large and he gave me a pout. A rather adorable pout. **Mierda**, how he managed to look like a pitiful child who was deprived of his toy car unjustly, I didn't want to know.

"N-No!" I forced myself to look angry. Shit, I'm not going to let myself get fooled.

The force of his pitifully adorable look grew tenfold as he tilted his head and said, "Puhleeease?"

I felt my eye involuntarily twitch. "No..." I muttered as I bit my lip.

"Pretty," he paused as he batted his eyelashes. "Please?" Pitiful look level, Maximum!

Goddamnit, whoever taught him to look that irresistible, I'll have to kill him or her someday! I begrudgingly limped to my house as he enthusiastically waved goodbye to me, cheerfully calling out "Lovi!" many times. The fading sound of the whir of the engine of Antonio told me he was driving away. I was about to plop on the comfortable sofa, the doorbell rang.

To my surprise, it was Antonio, panting as if he ran a considerable distance. I gave him an annoyed glare and slammed the door, only to be stopped by his foot.

"You jerk, let me be!" I hissed.

"Wait Lovi!" he called out as he stopped me from closing the front door.

I sighed and then gave him a tired look. "What?"

"Can I have your number?"

"No!"

"Please?"

"No means no!" I grumbled.

"But Lovi, now that I can call you by your nickname and drive you home, isn't it strange that I don't know your number?" he reasoned out.

"That's illogical!"

"Lovi, pleaaase?"

"**ARGH ANTONIO!"**

In the end, I gave him my number just to be left in peace.

**End of the Chapter**

**A/N: Hi guys! I hope I made this chapter to your liking! ****It's rather short, isn't it? u.u ****Reviews are very much appreciated. It's been a long time since I've made a fan fic (again), so bare with my amateur writing skills.**


	4. Chapter 4: Uncle's Love

**Bewitched!**

_Chapter Four: Uncle's Love_

_**Read this before proceeding:**_

_**The first part is told by Sebastian's (Lovina's Uncle) POV. **_

_**The latter parts of the story are told in a third person's perspective.**_

_**And, thank you for the 15 favs and 20 alerts! I'm glad that someone actually likes this fanfic. LOL.**_

Today, my niece Lovina is visiting me for a short check-up. I see an unfamiliar vehicle enter my place at the exact time my niece told me. That must be her then.

"Sir, Miss Lovina with a friend has requested your presence." My butler Hanes announces as he enters my room.

"Bring them to the living room and serve them some drinks." I said.

Hanes gives me a curt nod and proceeds to the kitchen. I immediately change into comfortable attire which consisted of a snug loose tee and faded black jeans. Satisfied with my outfit, I walk out of my room to greet my lovable niece.

"Antonio, don't touch the statue!" Lovina scolded.

The sound of my niece's irritated voice becomes more louder as I approached the living room.

"Whoa, are these real diamonds?" an unfamiliar male voice says in awe.

Puzzled, I discreetly peered through the doorway of the living room. Right there, I found my niece dragging a man! They both looked pretty much close to each other, as evidenced by Lovina's relaxed demeanor. By what I mean by relaxed demeanor is that she's being her grouchy self.

"Antonio, would you behave yourself?!" Lovina hissed as she pulled the rather handsome fellow away from the very expensive looking Grecian statue.

"Your uncle is sure rich..." Antonio said in awe.

"Of course he is!" Lovina sighed. "He's a world famous doctor."

That's right. I am Sebastian Vargas - Lovina's uncle and the younger brother of her father is known for his immense talents in the medical world. At the mere age of 30, I have been renowned for his surgical techniques and breakthrough discoveries in the field of science and technology.

"Oh, my favourite niece is here!"

I let out a fond crooked smile as I sauntered towards my niece. Lovina let out a small smile as she gave me a small box. I happily fussed about the pastries she had taken to make to which Lovina irritably smacked me in the face with.

"Still feisty, eh?" I chuckled.

"You're my favourite uncle but don't push it." Lovina said.

"Your words both touch and wound me."

"Get over it." she shrugged.

I performed the check up. With a smile, I happily announced that Lovina is almost healed. The butler took my medical apparatuses away and left the spacious office/clinic to our privacy.

"Rest it some more and you'll be running in full speed." I said as I settled more comfortably onto the couch.

"That's a relief. It means that you're not going to nag me as often then." Lovina smirked as she looked at Antonio.

"Aww, but I like hanging out with you." Antonio pouted.

"Nagging is more like it."

I watched the banter taking place with interest. Lovina has never interacted with men as much as she was doing now with the rather handsome fellow she was with. Then again, Lovina is an attractive girl so it wouldn't be a surprise if she's had admirers. That is, I chuckled to myself, before her niece scared the living daylights of those poor men.

"Are you two going out or something?" I suddenly said out of the blue.

"What?!" Lovina blushed. "No!"

Antonio just grinned.

"Oh? How interesting." I smirked.

"You don't believe me don't you?"

"No." I admitted.

Lovina had considerably changed since the last summer they have met. Every time she would visit his home, she would just occasionally talk to him and silently watch him as he worked. But now...

"I'm leaving." Lovina suddenly stood up.

"So soon?!" I laughed.

"I still have to take care of household chores."

"That's an excuse."

"Not really," Lovina sighed. "Feliciana is terrible with household chores. She _almost_ destroyed the kitchen once."

"You may leave then."

With that, I walked them to their car. Antonio gave me a smile and thanked me for the meal and for checking Lovina's ankle. Lovina blushed and tried to wave off Antonio, saying that the man must have taken a lot of sugar intake and that I should ignore him.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you two..." I whispered the other words to my niece's ear.

Lovina gaped at me, blushing into a deeper shade of red.

"Are you alright? Were you allergic to something we ate?" Antonio asked my niece in all oblivious seriousness.

"What? No!" _Jeez. Let's leave already_ was what my niece seemed to say.

"We should be going. Lovina really hates to be out on the road so late." Antonio said.

"Okay. I don't wanna keep you to here."

"Thank you sir."

"Call me Sebastian. Oh before I forget. I have to tell you something."

"Oh?" Antonio blinked.

_**Line Break!**_

Lovina stared out the window and watched the scenery pass by. It was fun seeing her uncle again. Maybe she'd bring everyone too if she had the time.

Lovina blinked. _Everyone...?_

"Your Uncle Sebastian is a really cool guy." Antonio suddenly said.

"How'd you say that?" Lovina asked as she looked at Antonio with interest.

"Hmm, he's handsome and rich." Antonio grinned.

"You sound gay." Lovina frowned.

"He's pretty nice too."

"...Don't tell me you've fallen for him."

Antonio went on. "But he's scary."

"Eh?" Lovina blinked.

"He told me that," Antonio said slowly.

_If you hurt Lovina, I'm going to not let your soul rest for eternity. I have a lot of connections and I'll make sure you'll pay nth times the pain you'll give her._

Antonio laughed nervously. "He said it in such a scary way that I almost peed myself there."

"Jeez, don't let him get to you." Lovina rolled her eyes.

He might have done it for his own pleasure, Lovina grimaced. That jerk.

"But, I promised him though."

"What?"

"I told him that I won't hurt you." Antonio let out a smile.

Lovina's eyes widened. "W-What the...don't joke around like that." Lovina grumbled as she blushed.

"But I'm serious." Antonio blinked.

_**Line Break!**_

A familiar sedan pulls out on the driveway in front of Sebastian's home. The darkly tinted window rolls down to reveal an extremely good looking man identical to Sebastian.

"Sebastian, how's Lovina?"

The man steps out of a luxury sedan. Upon closer inspection, the man looked very much like Sebastian – same unruly dark brown hair and mischievous green eyes that twinkled. Alessandro Vargas, was of course, was a bit older looking.

"She visited a while ago. You could have met her if you just arrived earlier." Sebastian said.

"Is she doing well?"

"She's doing extremely well."

"A boy?" Alessandro raised a brow.

"A father always knows what's happening to his daughters."

"Is he nice to her?"

"He's rather nice. He can put up with Lovina's unpleasant temper." Sebastian chuckled.

"He better not hurt my daughter. I won't let him live peacefully if he does hurt my daughter." Alessandro grumbled.

"Well said." Sebastian smirked.

At that exact moment, Antonio felt that a chill and nervously looked around as he drove Lovina and himself back home.

"Watch the road!" Lovina scolded.

"I felt something..." Antonio mumbled.

"Don't be silly! Just focus on driving."

**End of the Chapter**

**Hi guys! I hope I made this chapter to your liking! Reviews are very much appreciated. It's been a long time since I've made a fan fic (again), so bare with my amateur writing skills. Sorry also for the late update. u.u **


	5. Chapter 5: Just in Time

**Bewitched!**

_Chapter 5: Just on Time_

During weekends, I keep an organized schedule. Well, at least, I thought I'd allot a specific period for the activities I would be doing.

**8 AM:** I would check my e-mails. I would be greeted by a variety of mails – update of subscriptions to some websites, spam mail, notifications about something, group messages and etc. But the mails I look forward the most is from my friends from Germany and France.

Gillian Beilschmidt is my friend from Germany. I haven't met her personally but I have seen a photograph of hers back when I was still a fifth grader. I was assigned to write to two foreign students of the sister school of my, well, school. She has piercing ruby red eyes that could see through your soul and a boyish cut silver blond hair.

I happily click on my German friend's mail.

**_Jealous_**

_From: Gillian B._

_To: Lovina V._

_It's awesome that you get to go outside school and hangout._

_WA's being a bitch about going out._

_I haven't gone out for months. WA's making me sick._

_Not awesome._

_I wanna go to WA South Branch, aka your school. I heard it's really large._

_Gilly_

I type a short reply:

**_You are an Idiot_**

_From: Lovina V._

_To: Gillian B._

_WA Central Branch is also large. What are you talking about?_

_WA's not probably letting you out because of the beer incident._

_Anyway, I heard there's an exchange program between our campuses._

_You might be able to get study here for a while._

_Lovina_

I browsed through the mail inbox to check more mails. Oh, Francis's mail...I drag my mouse to Francis's mail and read it. Francis Bonnefoy, my French penpal goes to the same school with Gillian. They both appear to be very close. Just like with Gillian, I haven't seen him in personal but I have seen a photo of him. He has silky blond hair and a pair of sharp ice blue eyes. He's actually kinda good-looking.

**_Beer Incident and Exchange Programs_**

_From: Francis B._

_To: Lovina V._

_WA happily banned Gill from leaving the campus for a whole semester._

_She's mopping at the time I am sending you this message._

"_Buuuuuuuu, WA's no fun at all. Can't get a joke." She says._

_Tell that to the European Board members she'd pranked by replacing their car fuel with beer during one of her Beer Frenzies._

_I've applied for the exchange program between our schools. I've yet to tell Gill about the program._

_After all, there's no rule about her being exempted from taking part in school programs._

_If we pass, greet us first, okay?_

_Francis_

Francis has always been the mature (and perverted) one. He seemed to have a unique look at life and would give advices that would make sense. He's pleasant enough to talk to, that's why I still keep in touch with him.

**_Gillian is an Idiot_**

_From: Lovina V._

_To: Francis B._

_She is an idiot, isn't she?_

_I hope both of you pass on the exchange program examinations._

_I heard it's going to be tough to pass._

_I'll be the first one to greet both of you here!_

_Lovina_

I closed my laptop after checking the rest of my mails. Right on schedule, Feliciana comes in my room, wearing a long sleeved rose pink dress with cute tiny teal flowers that accentuated her porcelain skin.

"Lovi, how do I look?" she asks as she gently turns around.

**8:30 AM:** Feliciana often goes out because of extracurricular activities, dates, and club activities. Feliciana wearing a dress meant that she is going out with her current boyfriend, Ludwig.

"The dress is a good choice, but I think there's something lacking." I said.

Feliciana smiles bashfully. "You think? I'll trust you on this one."

I pull out an unused matching teal leggings from my organized wardrobe. Feliciana sat on the corner of my bed and watched me lay out an ensemble of clothing. Minutes later, I found myself putting the last touch on her outfit, a simple white butterfly clip on her artfully done bun. Feliciana gushed at her outfit which consisted of the long sleeved rose pink dress with cute tiny teal flowers, teal leggings, and white sandals.

Not long after, the door bell rang. Feliciana dashed down stairs as I trailed slowly behind her. Ludwig visibly flushed as Feliciana greeted him. I let out a haughty smirk – I know I'm talented at dressing people.

"Thanks a lot Lovi. I really look great in this." She said as I escort her towards Ludwig.

"Ludwig, curfew's 10 o'clock." I told the blushing German.

"Right. Thanks for everything." He shyly nodded.

**10:30 AM:** I usually clean the house whenever Feliciana goes out since I get to clean the house more thoroughly. I wipe the last traces of dirt on the floor with a cloth. I stood up and assessed the now cleaned house. The mayhem Feliciana caused were carefully put back on its respective containers/rooms/and etc.

Satisfied with the cleaning I have done around the house, I happily placed all of the cleaning materials I had use back in the closet. Thinking that I deserved a little pre-siesta nap (I really did deserve a little break after scrubbing all of the filth that had gathered up all weekend), I was about to settle down on the sofa when the door bell rang.

"Who could that be?" I murmured as I peeped at the door hole.

A large green eye blinked back at me through the door hole. I literally jump a good one feet away from the door, shrieking like a banshee.

A suspiciously familiar group of laugh came from the other side of the door. Frowning, I approached the door and took another peek at the door hole. It was Antonio with the rest of the Art club, laughing at me as they waved.

"You fucking scared me!" I point an accusing finger at Antonio and the rest.

"Sorry." He let out a grin that did not reek of apology. Kiku just smirked while Matthew bashfully smiled at me.

"Having yourself scared the living daylights out of you can be a good change." Kiku said.

"Can?" I repeated.

"Can." The Japanese smirked.

"That is so you." I sighed.

"True." The insolent man shrugged, probably thinking it was better to tell the truth.

My temper flared, but I decided to act civil and ask what their business here was. Matthew who had been watching the early banter between the Antonio, Kiku and I decided to speak out.

"We were wondering if you could help us with Kiku's festival duty." Matthew said nervously. "You can say no if you don't want to!" he said in a rush as if to please me or something.

"What festival duty?"

A rather hazy memory of me reading a festival today suddenly came to mind. Then, Feliciana did say something about a festival with oriental and legendary dance that's being held sometime this month.

"My parents coerced me to lead the Bon Odori since the one supposed to got sick." Kiku replied, frowning.

"Oh, you mean with the taiko drums and stuff?" I blinked, a bit interested.

"Yes, that."

"So, do you want to help out? Kiku was supposed to supervise and help out with the decoration, but since he's doing the Bon Odori duty, there's no one to do the decoration duty." Antonio asked.

"I guess so." I slowly said. "It's not like I have any other things to do anyway. I just finished cleaning, Feliciana's out with Ludwig on a date, and Bella seems to not have the intention of coming over."

"Who's not coming?" a voice from afar said.

We all turned our heads to Bella, who was carrying a basket of presumably, pastries. She was dressed casually in a fit t-shirt and faded ¾ jeans. Despite the simple outfit, she managed to make it look sophisticated.

"I came to drop by. You weren't answering your deadbeat phone so I decided to come by just to check if you're alive or something." Bella said as she placed the basket into my arms.

"Gee, thanks for the concern." I grimaced. "They kept me here so I didn't notice my phone ringing."

"I can see that. So why are you guys here anyway? Antonio I'd understand, but…" Bella fixed her eyes on Kiku and Matthew questioningly.

"Decorating." Kiku said.

"We need lots of help." Matthew added.

"Sounds fun. Are you helping out, Lovina?" Bella turned towards me expectantly.

"I am. I have nothing to do today anyway."

"Great! Why don't we eat the scones I made before preparing for the festival." Bella suggested.

**12 PM:** I never miss lunch. Today is not an exemption to that. The five of us contentedly stuffed with Bella's delicious scones, lounged at the living room. Antonio, who had been looking around the living room, suddenly spoke up.

"Wow, your place is big." He said.

My dwelling place is actually a two story house with a 246 sq. meter lot. If you consider the number of occupants (which are two) living here, it is actually big. Father insisted on buying the house for us so that we'd have a lot of space for everything.

"It gets stuffy whenever Feli's around." I sighed.

"Oh, that reminds me," Bella grinned. "Where are they heading to?"

"I don't really ask," I shrugged. "Feli's responsible enough."

"I wonder how they date." Bella let out a conspiratorial smile.

"Indeed." Kiku agreed.

"I can't imagine Ludwig being lovey-dovey with Feliciana." Antonio laughed. "He's too stiff."

"Neither can I." We all dryly said in unison.

Ludwig is very popular and infamous in the Soccer club. He's known to be talented and brutal when it comes to practices and discipline during club practices.

"W-Well," Matthew suddenly joined in. "I saw them by the lakeside a while ago. They might be still there."

"Lakeside? How romantic." Bella happily gushed.

"What's romantic with a lake?" I frowned.

"You watch too much action and sci-fic movies." Bella dryly said.

"I don't watch chick-flicks."

"The only thing that I've watch that nearly comes close to chick-flicks is Twilight Saga and that's because you coerced me to. It was the most horrible night of my life." I ranted.

"I admit," Bella flushed. "That the story plot is _terrible_ when you realize that the main female character clings to the main male character too much."

"But it still has its charms." Kiku said.

"I actually liked the book." Antonio admitted sheepishly.

"The book was badly portrayed in the movie." Matthew said.

"We're discussing about vampires instead of the Bon Odori dance. How productive."

_**(A/N: No offense to Twilight fans reading this fanfiction. The opinions expressed above are just a compilation of the opinions I have heard from friends, and from myself. I actually liked the book, but then I sorta got a bit ugh after seeing the movie.)**_

**6:45 PM:** The old theater parking lot, which is the venue of the festival, has been transformed from a dull and ghostly space into a lively and colorful spot for festivities and social events. Banners skillfully cut and artistically designed hover in the air and lights of different sizes and colors lit up the place.

"To think we managed to finish decorating in such a short notice." Bella remarked as we helped ourselves to a well deserved serving of cold lemon juice.

"It's all because we talked about Twilight." I frowned.

"Now now Lovi. It isn't fair to Twilight that you're accusing them of your procrastination." Antonio laughed as he settled on a seat beside me.

Before I could retort, a panting Kiku came towards us. I immediately vacate my seat in order for him to take a seat and regain his composure.

"Gee, you really look wiped out." Bella said.

"Who wouldn't be wiped out after leading the Bon Odori?" Kiku grumbled.

"Here grumpy," I said, giving him a glass of cold lemonade. "And I thought I'm the moody one."

Kiku shot me an irritated look before gulping the contents of the glass.

"What brought you here anyway?" Antonio asked.

"Girlfriend. Suddenly wanted to come. Coming. I look ridiculous. No extra clothes." Kiku blushed.

"I d-didn't know you were so concerned of looking presentable in front of your…er…Hera." Matthew said.

Kiku said nothing and blushed into a deeper shade of red.

"That's not a problem." I shrugged, sauntering towards him. "Just…Antonio, lend Kiku your jacket." I said, looking at Antonio's rather fashionable jacket.

Antonio wordlessly handed his jacket to Kiku. "What are you planning?"

"Making a sweaty and messy looking Japanese into a very presentable and hot Japanese." I replied as I fetched a 1 liter bottle of water.

**7 PM:** Bella whistled appreciatively while Antonio and Matthew stared wide eyed at Kiku, who every much looked didn't look like he lead a Don Oburi dance, clad with Antonio's black leather jacket with a recently bought oriental designed white v-cut shirt and improvised (I ripped some parts of the jeans much to the owner's protests) ragged fading gray skinny jeans with his fashionable red converse sneakers. His hair which became a bit messy, was skillfully made into something resembling a stylish hair style.

"Whoa, Lovi, how'd you do all of that?" Antonio blinked.

"Improvise. That's the magic of being artistic." I smiled.

"Nice job Lovina. He really looks hot now." Bella grinned.

"I don't even recognize myself." Kiku murmured as he eyed his reflection incredulously.

"That's the point. Now go and have fun with Hera." I said as I pushed him to the entrance of the parking lot.

"Eh?!" Kiku panicked as he was unceremoniously pushed out in the clear.

"Kiku…you look great." A gentle voice said.

Hera Karpusi, a stunning vision in a simple green dress, approached both of us with a smile. The rich color of the dress contrasted perfectly Hera's sun kissed skin.

"Err, I'll be leaving you two now." I said, inching away from them awkwardly.

"Wait…" Hera stopped me, touching my arm. "Why don't you join us? I heard that there's a campfire dance starting at any moment now. I've always wanted to dance with some" She said.

"But I can't come with you two." I mumble.

"Who said you'll come alone," Kiku smiled. "Right, Antonio?"

Antonio, who had just passed by innocently, blinked at Kiku. The idiota, of course didn't was happening just slowly nodded as he shot me a look that said "Err, what?". Damn him and his lip services.

"There you have it. You have a partner and you'll be able to dance with us."

"Kiku…" I growled begrudgingly at him.

Hera laughed. "She really does have a temper."

"But she also has her charms." Kiku smiled.

"Indeed. That's why a lot of the guys in our batch are interested in her." She drawled on a bit louder.

"Uh…" I blushed. _**Jesus, can they talk about me somewhere?!**_

"Isn't that right?" Antonio murmured, taking my arm.

"What are you doing?" I protested.

"Have a good time!" Kiku let out a sly smile as Hera chuckled.

Bella and Matthew approached them and happily chatted amongst themselves as they look on to Antonio and me.

**Shit.**

Did they just set us up?

Then it all became clear - the festival that Feliciana has been babbling about.

"_Lovi, there's going to be a festival soon." Feliciana chirped as she crashed into my bedroom._

_The music being played to my ears somehow muffled Feliciana so I had to lower the volume of my mp3 player before asking what she said._

"_A festival." She repeated._

_I shrugged as I pull the volume up back. It was midterms so I had to focus on studying. Feli, being her naturally airhead self, chatted on about a romantic dance._

"_Camp fire…Ludwig…Dinner…Dance…Antonio….out…you….Dance…couple." was the only words I heard._

"_Really? That's nice." I said noncommittally._

I felt my cheeks flush as Feliciana's words registered.

"_**There's a campfire dance after the Bon Odori. Ludwig and I will dance right after dinner. I hope Antonio asks to go out and dance with you. You two will look like a couple!" she rambled happily.**_

I steal a glance at Antonio, who was still hell-bent on getting us to the campfire which was packed with…_lovers_.

"Antonio…" I called out.

He seemed to snap out of his reverie enough to acknowledge my call. "What?" he said.

He faced towards me as he stopped in his tracks. The campfire lit his features through the night. His eyes, his intense green eyes that twinkled with mirth now twinkled with something I couldn't describe.

He looked different. It was unnerving to see him so…irritated?

That's it. He's irritated.

But why?

"It's too crowded here. Can't you see I can't breathe through this cesspool?!" I suddenly grumbled.

His face registered surprise and then he laughed. "Why didn't you say so?"

"because," I frowned. "You were _too_ absorbed in trying to get me dance in the middle of that stupid fire!"

His features seemed to relax at my words. His grip became softer.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what got over me." He frowned. "when I heard Hera talking about some other guys having an interest in you, I got…I don't understand." He said, frustrated.

"…you were jealous?"

"Jealous…?" he repeated.

Then to my surprise, he suddenly blushed. The idiot blushed!

"Maybe. Now that you have said it." he murmured.

I laughed – a relieved laugh came from me. The idiota was jealous. It sounded so weird that he would get jealous and frustrated because of me. It was _downright ridiculous_ – the notion that some senior boys are interested at me. I was supposed to draw men from me, **not** attract them.

Why would they like or have a tiny degree of interest at someone with someone like me.

It didn't make sense.

"Lovi, are you alright?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm alright, idiota. Well, I don't want to dance with you here." I said.

Antonio's face fell. "R-Really?"

"Well, for one, look at the dance site itself." I pointed out.

"The campfire site is too full." Antonio dryly observed as we looked on.

"And two, I want to go somewhere else."

**8PM: **The lakeside near the theater parking lot was silent that night. Since everyone seemed to be at the parking lot, there was no one in sight at the lakeside. The lakeside restaurants were closed and were barely visible in the night. The music and chatter that the lakeside provided was not present.

Antonio held my hand as we made our way to the shallow part of the lake. He seemed uncharacteristically silent that I suddenly shouted.

"Antonio!"

Antonio laughed. "I can't hear you!" he played along.

"You deaf, good for nothing guy!"

"I can't hear you still!"

"Blast it Carriedo, take this!" I shouted in mock anger as I splashed water at him.

Moments later, we sat on one of the vacant stools of the lakeside restaurants, tired from horsing around.

"Am I the only one who's hungry and tired, yet incredibly happy right now?" Antonio asked.

"Hungry," I repeated, as I placed my hand on my damp stomach. "Very much."

"Good, I have some rations of tomatoes right here." Antonio grinned as he took two pulp tomatoes from his baggy pants.

"Baggy pants huh?" I said. "That's convenient."

"Very," Antonio agreed. "Luckily Bella asked me to fetch two tomatoes earlier. I never knew she also liked tomatoes."

"Remind me to get back at them on Monday." I said grimly.

"Huh?" Antonio blinked.

"Nothing." I said, as I bit into the tomato.

**10 PM: **I plop into my bed, tired from the excitement of the festival. I forced myself to get up once more to check my mail inbox whether Gillian and Francis already replied. I first see Gillian's reply:

**_*Awesome Idiot_**

_From: Gillian B._

_To: Lovina V._

_Nah, WA Central Branch is smaller. _

_It was a harmless prank, really. All I did was to put something really similar looking to beer, that's all. _

_I'll bag the exchange program exam so that I can get away from this hellhole._

_Fuckin' Awesome Gilly_

I type a short reply:

**_Good Luck_**

_From: Lovina V._

_To: Gillian B._

_Good luck then! I know you're smart enough to pass._

_Lovina_

Francis's online. I type a short greeting to him:

_**Lovina V:** Hey!_

To which he replies immediately:

_**Francis B:** Why are you still awake?_

_**Lovina V:** Just came back from horsing around at a festival_

_**Francis B:** Oh. Glad to hear that you're not stuck at home all day. Who were you with?_

_**Lovina V:** With some friends._

_**Francis B:** Antonio, I presume, is with you too?_

I stopped typing.

_**Francis b:** bingo. Something happened between both of you, mon cherie?_

_**Lovina V:** Nothing._

_**Francis B:** Evasive._

_**Lovina V:** none of your business._

_**Francis B:** how cute of you to say that._

_**Lovina V:** Indeed._

_**Francis B:** Well, I won't argue with you tonight. I've got to study for my exams._

_**Lovina V:** good luck._

_**Francis B:** Thanks._

Before I signed out, I opened our chat box and typed:

_**Lovina V:** I'll tell you when you arrive here._

_**Francis B:** Deal._

**End of Chapter**

**Looong chapter as a gift for you guys. :D I hope you guys liked it. I'd have to admit, I was so into making this chapter, that I think it sounds a bit different from the previous chapters. **

**As always, please review! **


	6. Chapter 6: The Beginning of

_**THE USUALLY IGNORED AUTHOR'S NOTES (1):**_

_To those who have waited for this update, I'm very sorry for not updating earlier. I have been preoccupied with a lot of stuff that I haven't had time to think of how to put my ideas into words properly._

_Thankfully, I am currently enjoying a very long weekend!_

_Also, I would like to thank all of the reviews I have received. I really appreciate all of your comments. _

_If you guys haven't noticed, Fem!Greece is supposed to be named as Helen instead of Hera (Thanks for pointing that out Greece's Kitty) but I have realized that albeit too late. For the sake of consistency, I'll keep using Hera. Sorry about that folks!_

_Again, thank you guys for commenting. I'll be keeping all of your comments and suggestions to mind as I progress in making this story._

* * *

><p><strong>Bewitched!<strong>

_Chapter 6: The Beginning of Unexpected Events_

_((POV in this chapter is based on a __**3**__**rd**__** person's point of view**__))_

**WA Central Branch, Left Wing Dormitory - Francis' Room**

**4:30 AM, 3 days before the Exchange Program Examination**

The spacious bedroom which was normally quiet and peaceful was suddenly filled with an obnoxious heavy metal tunes that jolted Francis Bonnefoy awake. A string of curses left the French's mouth as he fumbled for his phone in an attempt to get rid of Gillian's horrid caller ringtone - by answering the call.

"Gillian Beilschmidt, if you don't give me a good reason why you called me at fucking 4 in the morning, I'll hang up." Francis hissed against his phone as he struggled to sit up.

"Yeah yeah, quit with your yapping Franny. I need your help with my studies." Gillian replied.

A yawn escaped Francis' lips as he replied: "Huh? Studies? You're interested in studying now?"

He must still be dreaming if he heard his friend utter the word study and help in a sentence.

"You're one of the smartest people around. You'll be perfect tutor if you wanted to be one."

"Whatever gave you the idea that I became one of those so-called smart people just to dote on someone else's academic pursuits?" He grimaced.

"I did. It's a calling to be a teacher in the future, Franny. You'll be the head of all those nerds or wannabe nerds out there and they'll scorn and worship you for your ingeniousness," Gillian chirped. "Oh, whoops! I almost got caught by the hall monitor. I'm coming to fetch you at your room."

"What?! Are you serious? You're already on the discipline hot list because of the beer incident!"

No answer came from the troublemaker. Only the monotone beeps of the line answered for Francis. The irritated French got out of bed and let out several curses as he rushed towards his closet to get himself decently dressed. He hadn't fully put his pants on when Gillian entered his room, looking very satisfied with herself.

"Franny, I had to destroy most of your locks. Why do you even lock your room? It took me longer to get in because of that. Are you ready..._oohh_. Red is the color today huh." The German nodded as she openly ogled her friend, abruptly stopping in her tracks.

"**Sacrebleu**! Jesus, what are you doing here?!" Francis shrieked an octave higher than his usual voice.

Not only was he mortified that his close friend risked getting herself expelled, she also infiltrated his highly secured room (He regularly changes all of the padlocks at every doors and windows) and manages to look dignified while openly staring at him almost wearing nothing!

"I never knew someone still uses that word." Gillian grinned.

"Gillian, go to the fucking bathroom and let me change so I can finish this hell you're already putting me through!" he ordered as he pushed the laughing German into his bathroom.

* * *

><p><strong>WA South Branch, Art Club Room<strong>

**4:30 PM, 2 days before the Exchange Program Examination**

Lovina Vargas, who had finished coordinating with the Drama Club for an upcoming event had decided to take a short break before starting her other club duties. Much to her further relief, no one was lounging at the club room. Satisfied by the amount of privacy, she brought out her laptop and checked her mail for new messages:

_**Exchange Program Examination**_

_From: WA Administration_

_To: Lovina V._

_Good day Miss Vargas!_

_We are inviting you to take the annual exchange program examination. The online application for the examination is accessible at this __link__. The deadline for the application is extended up to the day of the examination._

_The results of the examination will be immediately released after you finish the examination. Results of __**90% and above**__ qualifies you to be a participant of the exchange program. Once the results are released, you will be given immediate permission to depart on the day itself._

_Apply now and have a unique experience at the WA Central Branch!_

Lovina immediately thought of her friends and how they were doing with their review for the exam. While she was sure that Francis would pass because of his great academic performance, she wasn't quite sure if her other friend Gillian would be able to get 90% in such a short span of time. She knew it was going to be hard to pass the exam but she never knew that it had such a high cut-off score.

"No," she murmured as she shook her head. "If someone's going to make the impossible possible, Gilly's the one who can pull it off."

She checked her other mail and found one email sent by her dear friend Gillian:

_**Badly in Need one of those 40 Winks**_

_From: Gillian B._

_To: Lovina V._

_Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I'm currently catching up with all of the lessons I have missed. _

_So far so good! Luckily I have a good weapon up my sleeves for academic emergencies._

_With one of the smartest people in this school teaching me,_

_Nothing can go wrong!_

_Ugh, but Franny is a horrible teacher._

_He's even more scary and annoying than the obnoxious teachers here._

_I suppose he has the right to get angry at someone who hasn't even touched any of her textbooks...nor has an idea how to use the library for additional reference._

_I'm really sleepy right now, but I have to suck it up and prove that a troublemaker like me who gets passing grades all the time can get a high grade without breaking too much sweat!_

_Kesesesesese!_

_I hope you're praying for me and Francis to pass the exam. _

_Especially for me. Pray more for me._

_I made a bet that I'd reach 95% above, he'd have to pay for all of my travelling expenses._

_Until I get my studies and exams done, I won't be able to e-mail you._

_If I pass, you won't have to e-mail me for a while._

_I can't wait to finally see you after all of these years._

_Bye for now._

_Gilly_

Lovina smiled at her friend's enthusiasm and decides not to reply. After closing her laptop, she packed up her things and tidied the clubroom until her friend Antonio arrived to pick her up.

"Lovi, I'm really sorry for being late. I had to submit a paper for the upcoming track and field club intramurals." He gave the deadpan Italian an apologetic smile.

Lovina narrowed her eyes at the Spaniard, not replying to his apology. After dusting the cabinets, she placed the cleaning materials back to its rightful place, picked up her bag and began to walk towards the door.

"Err, Lovi?"

"We're leaving." Lovina replied, crossing her arms.

"Eh?! You're not angry?" Antonio blinked.

"Not really. Do you want me to be angry at you after all?" Lovina raised a brow.

"N-No! But it isn't like you to be this passive..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing! Uh, do you want me to carry your things for you? Your ankle is almost healed but it's better for you not to lift something heavy."

"I can't be invalid all the time, idiota," Lovina scowled. "But if you insist on serving me that much, go ahead. I won't stop you."

Antonio led her to his car, put her things at the backseat and then began to pull away from the parking lot. While driving, he began to ponder on a certain attractive Italian sitting beside him in silence. Antonio felt clueless to what caused the Italian to be softer on him. When it came to her, he didn't seem to understand her. She'd be angry with him, nice to him, angry again, then nice.

"Lovi, you're kinda contradictory aren't you?" he mused out loud while driving.

"Contradictory? What are you blurting out all of the sudden?" Lovina looked away from her side of the road to face him.

"You're nice, then you become angry. Just like the other day, you became nice and cheered me up during the festival last we-

"**SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!** I-I was perfectly the same dammit!" Lovina cut him off, blushing while shrieking.

Antonio just laughed, ignoring Lovina's protests.

* * *

><p><strong>WA Central Branch, Right Wing Dormitory – Gillian's Room<strong>

**Exchange Program Examination Day**

**4:45 AM:**

Francis sighed as he cleaned up after his friend's mess. After countless (not really countless, but it seemed to be countless) hours of teaching Gillian everything, they were finally done. Right on cue after declaring that Gillian perfected all of the questions he had given her, she immediately passed out and slept on him.

"Gill, you're really something aren't you?" he smiled as he covered the sleeping German with a warm blanket.

He wasn't expecting for her to be able to learn every lesson so fast that he felt an urge to stay with her throughout the whole thing. Even though he didn't have a chance to study for himself, he was able to apply what he already knew while he was teaching Gillian. He wagered that tutoring someone else also qualified as another form of studying.

He picked up the scattered litters of papers, cans of energy drinks and other garbage that had accumulated in his friend's room and quietly sat on the edge of the couch and opened his laptop to check any mail from his pen-pal, Lovina:

_**Inspiration**_

_From: Lovina V._

_To: Francis B. _

_Francis, it has been a while since we have last exchanged mails. _

_I heard from Gilly that you two have been working hard together._

_Gilly told me not to send her an e-mail for a while, but I want you to show this art I made for both of you._

_It's a lucky 'charm' I made for both of you._

_I know that you two don't need one, but regardless of that, I want you two to know I am rooting for both of you two pass the exchange program examination tomorrow. _

_**1 Photo Attached – download or view**_

_Lovina_

Francis promptly downloaded the said photo. As always, he wasn't disappointed at the sight of Lovina's artistic skills. Unlike the ones Lovina has sent him, this piece of art had more emotions in it. The contours of the scenery of a beautiful sunset were more defined, the colors were warm and bold, and the strokes were more gentle yet firm. He grabbed his and Gillian's phone, put it to their phones and made it as their wallpaper.

He sent a short mail saying thank you and took a short nap. He set his phone to alarm half an hour later so that he can prepare their meals and hopefully get their clothes ironed. Satisfied with his plans, Francis drifted off to sleep with a smile on his lips.

_**2 hours later:**_

A delicious sent of bacon and egg entered as the sounds of the sizzling frying pan being washed echoed throughout the room. Realizing that he had completely missed the intended time he planned to wake up, Francis literally jumps to the kitchen to find his obviously fresh companion cleaning the kitchen utensils she had used to make their breakfast.

Noticing that her friend has woken up, Gillian dressed in a crisp WA girl's uniform greeted her friend with a grin and instructed him to eat while she prepared his bath.

"G-Gill, when did you...how...I don't even know what I should ask you right now." Francis finished lamely.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a taste of my wifely side, Franny. Better suck it up before I change my mind." Gillian grinned as she put two cups of black coffee on the table.

"I won't," Francis shrugged. "I'm not complaining about eating free breakfast in a girl's room."

"That's not free." She said as she sat down.

"What do you mean?" he blinked.

"I didn't have food supplies and I borrowed some supplies..."

"...I don't like where this is going." Francis frowned.

"I snuck in your room and got us some delicious food and brought some of the stuff you'll be using today. I got everything so you wouldn't have to worry!"

Francis flashed Gillian a murderous glare, stood up from the table with bacon dangling from his lips and sought out his belongings.

"It's on my bed." The German pointed helpfully, following Francis while bringing her plate.

He immediately proceeded to her bedroom and saw his school bag perched on a pillow and his newly ironed school uniform along with his...unmentionables. _Red_ _unmentionables_. Francis face paled at the sight.

"Shee _–munch munch-_ I thought you'd like _–swallow-_ that ridiculous red underwear of yours. While you were sleeping, I dished that underwear of yours in your laundry basket, _**hand washed**_ it before using my hair blower to speed up the drying process so that you can use it aga-

"GILLIAN BEILSCHMIDT, **SHUT IT**! DON'T SAY A WORD!" The highly flustered French said in a loud voice, clutching his clothes while rushing to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Amidst the furious sound of numerous pencil scribbling and erasers being rubbed against papers, a lone student rises from the sea of students nervously filling up the answer sheet with answers with a satisfied grin on her face.<p>

Her fellow students look up to see who had guts to submit his/her paper first and immediately face judgement. To their surprise and dismay, it was none other than...

"Hey pops, scan my answer sheet and get it over with! Kesesesese!" Gillian called out from the other side of the room. "100% here I come!"

"100%? You? Impossible! If it were Bonnefoy over here," the teacher gestured towards Francis, who chose to ignore his teacher and friend's conversation. "I wouldn't be surprised if he scored as high as 95%! No one has been able to get 100% and I certainly won't expect you to get it."

The classroom erupted in small laughter and relieved grins as they watched the lively banter between the famous troublemaker and their uptight teacher.

"Beilschmidt, once you'll get your failing result, you won't be in the mood to make any jokes!" the teacher smirked as he eagerly put the answer sheet through the state-of-the-art machine-scoring device.

The monitor connected to the device glowed with power as the machine analyzed all of Gillian's answers.

"Watch the monitor for the result of your failure Beilschmidt." The teacher instructed.

"Failure? That's really supportive pops." Gillian crossed her arms in anticipation.

After what it seemed a millennia, the students along with their teacher and schoolmate fixed their eyes on the screen when it suddenly made an indication that it had finished checking the answer sheet. Francis, who finished answering the exam, leaned back on his seat and watched the screen with interest.

**Student Name:** Gillian Beilschmidt

**Student Number:** 20XX-10-40

**Remark:** Qualified

**Score:** 100%

Gillian took out her phone and snapped a photo of her results. The students in the room suddenly shouted different remarks like "Impossible!", "The world must be ending!" and etc. The teacher clutched a nearby table for support as he eyed the monitor flashing the result with shock and disbelief. Other teachers rushed to the room to see the commotion and also stood shocked at the result flashing on the monitor.

"I should get a trophy for this." Gillian snickered.

After the excitement (it was more of disbelief though) had died down, the teachers carefully reviewed Gillian's results multiple times. The security in the room was tightened because of the possibility that Gillian might have copied her answers from someone else.

Unfortunately for the teachers, they didn't find anything that would point out that Gillian cheated. They even reviewed the surveillance cameras inside the room, found some cheaters whom they immediately kicked out of the room, but didn't find Gillian actually cheating.

"I told you guys," Gillian grinned triumphantly. "I didn't cheat."

With a heavy heart, the teachers let her off the hook and reluctantly gave her a plane ticket and written permission to leave the campus.

"You may have won this time Beilschmidt, but you won't get so lucky the next time!" her teacher grumbled as he begrudgingly let her leave the room.

Francis and the other students soon followed and got their results. Francis got a score of 97%, while 3 others got scores within 90% to 94%. This year, only 6 out of 500 students in the Central Branch were qualified to go to the South Branch.

* * *

><p>When Lovina had received the news that her friends passed, she was very happy and excited of the fact that she will finally see them face to face. She immediately dressed up and rushed to the airport. To her surprise, Antonio was also at the airport, near to where was to wait her friends. Before she could hide from his range of vision, he had spotted her already.<p>

"Loviiii, could it be that you knew I was going to be here?" his eyes sparkled happily.

"What? No! I'm here to fetch some friends."

"Oh, is that so..." Antonio mumbled, deflated.

"And what are you doing here?" Lovina asked.

"I'm also waiting for my mother, but her flight has been delayed." He replied, frowning.

A ring from Lovina's trusty Nokia phone cut their conversation temporarily. It was a message from her friends:

_We're already here Lovina! You still remember our faces back at 3__rd__ grade right? – Gilly_

"Sorry, but I have to wait for my friends now. Chat with you later." Lovina dismissed Antonio as she began to walk away.

"Eh? Wait, I'll go with you!" Antonio shouted as he followed the rushing Italian doggedly.

"W-What?!" Lovina's face paled.

She cannot let Francis and Gillian see Antonio just yet. Lovina's mind raced for a valid reason to make Antonio go away.

"You can't do that. How about your mother?" she said, letting out an uneasy smile-snarl.

"She'll arrive much later than expected anyway. I'll drive you and your friends to your home at least."

"I can't possibly impose on you right when your mother is involved." Lovina blocked the way where her friends were suppose to come out and began to push him back to where he was situated before.

Just a little more, she can avert their meeting for the time being.

"A-Ah, Lovi that must be your friends." Antonio blurted, mystified at what he was seeing as he was being pushed by a flustered Italian.

Lovina paused and gulped. It can't be. It can't be, goddammit!

"Lovina," a female voice with an accent called out from behind. "Is that your boyfriend? He's pretty cute if you ask me."

"Mon ami, you don't ask someone that kind of question after meeting them for the first time." A male voice said dryly.

Lovina faced those voices with her heart thumping hard against her chest and came face to face with the distant friends whom she had only seen through a photo several years back and talked through mail and chat. Her eyes widened at the sight of the most gorgeous and sophisticated people she had laid eyes upon.

Gillian Beilschmidt was far from Lovina expected. Rather than having boyish features, she had the height, figure and looks of a model. Her large ruby eyes were the same piercing ones that she had seen before. She had also grown her hair longer this time. Her long shiny silver blonde locks perfectly framed her dainty face and complimented her pale skin tone.

Francis Bonnefoy looked very much the same. His long silky blonde hair, which had grown longer, was neatly tied with a red ribbon. His ice blue eyes looked sharp just like before, albeit a bit more mature and mischievous than before. He was a head taller than Gillian, making him almost as tall as Antonio. As Lovina had expected, he was quite a handsome fellow.

Both of them commanded attention wherever they went.

"Uhm, Hi...welcome. How did your flight go...?" Lovina asked mechanically.

"It was very very fun. By the way, you should see how high I got from the exam," Gillian happily replied as she held Lovina in a light headlock and showed the picture she had taken hours ago. "Kesesese, impressive isn't it?"

"W-Wha...100%! You really got 100%!" The Italian's face flustered with barely concealed delight.

"Thanks to my tutor, I managed to get that score."

"Thanks to the tutor, not only do you get free meals, free quality education, you also get free travelling money." Francis grimaced.

After a few minutes of chatting, Lovina finally became more relaxed in the presence of her distant friends that she had almost forgotten about Antonio. Almost.

"Oh, Lovina, your friend has been standing there for quite a while. Introduce us to him." Gillian pointed at Antonio, who was looking at his feet.

Antonio looked at Lovina with hopeful eyes. Francis and Gillian eyed Antonio with interest and curiosity while Lovina struggled not to run away now that she had no choice but to introduce Antonio to them earlier than she has planned.

"Gilly and Francis, this is Antonio. He's, ah, a friend. Antonio, this is Gilly and Francis. T-They were my pen-pals back at 3rd grade."

"Nice to meet you. I'm one of Lovina's close friends." Antonio extended his hands for a handshake.

Francis extended his hand and gave the Spaniard a firm handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad that Lovina has a _friend_ like you."

The Italian caught the hidden implication her friend was making and shot him a warning glare. Francis caught her glare and chuckled. Gillian, who had been watching their exchange, took the hint and decided to join in the fun.

"Yes! I hope you two _grow_ _closer_ in the future." Gillian gave Antonio a pat on the back.

Much to Lovina's amazement and annoyance, the three idiots (Francis, Gillian, and Antonio) instantly became friends and were now planning on going out together while they were on the way back home with Antonio as their driver.

"Right after I drive you to Lovina's home and fetch my mother, I'll tour you guys around. How does that sound?" Antonio asked.

"That sounds great!" Gillian answered enthusiastically.

"You two go ahead. I'll stay behind and make inquiries about where we will be staying and such. I don't know much about this place, so I need Lovina's help with those inquiries," Francis replied. "I'll be contented with Lovina and her younger sister's company for the time being."

Knowing that she couldn't refuse in this situation, Lovina could only agree. She played right into Francis' trap and both of them knew it. There is no backing out of the talk she promised him now.

**End of the Chapter**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTES (2):<strong>_ I hope I have satisfied you guys with this looooong chapter. I'm pretty sure my writing skills have grown rusty, but I have tried my best. Once again, please bear with my amateur writing skills. Reviews will always be appreciated.


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